Four years ago, she was helpless as a man robbed her at gunpoint. On Friday, legally armed with a handgun, she may have saved her life. And Farmington Hills Police Chief William Dwyer, who dreaded a change in the law in 2001 to make it easier to receive a concealed weapons permit, admits that he's changing his mind about that law.

Dwyer said the woman could easily have been killed after she was targeted by a couple looking for an easy score. They were waiting at 6:30 a.m. outside an office building at the southeast corner of 12 Mile and Drake roads.

Angela, a married mother of two, was arriving at the office where she has worked for six years. She asked that her last name and hometown not be made public.

She saw a car in the lot that she did not recognize, with two people inside, putting her on her guard. When she left her car, a man got out of that car and walked toward her.

He passed the entrance to the building and continued toward her. The man came within 10 feet of her, and she knew she had to act.

"I didn't get a chance to get in the office," she said. "He had his hands in his pocket with his hood pulled up. I opened my purse and pulled my gun out.

"I felt my life was in trouble. The first instinct was to pull out my gun."

The man turned tail and walked away, and the car pulled up to him near the roadway. He jumped in and they drove off.

No shots were fired.

Dwyer said there was "no question" she was in trouble.

"She took the appropriate action," Dwyer said. "She probably saved her life. She is a very fortunate young lady. (Also) she did an excellent job as far as giving a description of the vehicle and the suspect. She's a very courageous young lady."

Her calm demeanor and quick thinking - she called police from her cell phone immediately after the suspect drove off - led police to the man and his female accomplice within a minute of the robbery attempt, Dwyer said.

He said the couple - a 21-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman from Detroit - would be charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery.

Police confiscated a loaded 9 mm handgun from the couple's car. The man has several outstanding warrants and the woman was convicted for receiving stolen property.

Later Friday, Dwyer said a 28-year-old Southfield woman who knows Angela had been arrested for setting up her robbery.

Police are seeking a fourth suspect.

Dwyer, who as head of the state's police chief's association opposed the change in state law that made it easier for residents without criminal backgrounds to carry guns, acknowledges that the law has saved at least one person.

Considering gun manufacturers have been targeted for lawsuits when one of their weapons is used in a crime, and the mental-leap one has to make to conclude that this makes any sense at all, I'd rather sue any and all legislators who sign any bill limiting law-abiding citizens from their choice of self defense weapon when they subsequently fall victim to crime.

Their complicity in every rape, robbery, assualt, and murder can be demonstrated in every case where the victim is unarmed and offers zero deterrence to criminals.

... But when you intentionally fail to teach the Bill of Rights and the true meaning of the Constitution on a nationwide scale then you create a race of stupid automotons who will indeed kill citizens in the act of taking away their freedoms because they are only "following orders."

Jeff Snyder, in his book "Nation of Cowards", makes the statement:

"If a people will renounce, and cede to their government the very responsibility to protect their own lives, and by extension, those of their loved ones, and the right to own and use the means necessary to fulfill that obligation, then there is nothing, nothing, that whey will not cede to the government."

This is what will happen when our Nation's true history isn't taught to our children.

27
posted on 03/20/2004 7:41:46 AM PST
by Hat-Trick
(Do you trust a government that does not trust you with guns?)

I have 2, an old blue original Charter Arms (the original Co) and the Stainless Sunday-go-to-meeting gun from the new company. You can shoot 44 SPL in a 44 Mag but 44 Mag will not chamber in 44 SPL. Just buy a hand grenade, instead :-> Recoil is pretty substantial, but not unmanageable. I shot 248 out of 250 on my CCW recert. Fully loaded it weighs almost twice what it does empty so the recoil is pretty hefty on the last shot. It's in my night stand and I plan to sell or trade it cause I fell in love with my wife's Taurus Model 85 38SPL+P. I can shoot better at twice the range with it. Had to buy her one in SS Ultalite to get hers.

I'm seeing more and more of these "confidence people" approaching people at highway fast-food stores, in the parking lot, they'll drive up to you and "innocently ask (maybe, "aks") you, "Excuse me ____ (Sir or Ma'am), could you tell me something?"

My response has been an immediate and definite, "No!"

Yet, after going into the store and coming back to my car, I can see that their car has wandered off to another fast-food store or truck stop, where they again approach people who have just gotten out of their car or truck.

So I've been making a pain in the ass out of myself (not news, here, I suppose) by alerting the fast-food store managers to such instances, in the hopes that, if anybody comes in and begins to tell the store manager(s) about some odd occurence in the parking lot, to IMMEDIATELY call the Highway Patrol and get them to grab that car and occupants and spill their beans!

These "confidence people" quite often use the scheme that they are such and such miles from home and need just a little money to get there; Could you ... ?

Don't give them anything; don't even begin to reach for any money.

Tell them that if they are having an emergency, to go into that store right there and ask the manager to call the police, who will know how to assist them.

Well, of course, these "confidence people" do not want that!

As a fellow who does not carry any gun and won't, because I do not want to shoot anybody, I must confess that lately, the last occasion of this, the guy of the guy - girl "confidence team" approached me so fast, that in about another half-second, I would have pulled out the tennis racket and nailed him.

But of course, then, his attorney would have been, David Boise, or Lanny Davis, or Sidney Bluementhal, or Al Sharpton and mine would be pro-bono, Martha Stewarts, so that, given my relative wealth (1990 Mercury badly in need of a paint job, apartment full of junk, pants in need of a seamstress, no, I'm not making this up), I'd be the one who was "unfair" and "exclusive" and "insensitive" and "meanspirited" and Oh Yes, I do carry a U.S. Flag inside the back window, so you can throw away the jailhouse keys, because it is like that I am a Republican, too.

Guilty.

Guilty.

Guilty.

I'm also not married, so I guess I'm "a loner."

Boo!

I'm your worst nightmare, because I tried to save you from the two "confidence people," be they Bill and Hillary or, well, probably their names really are Bill and Hillary.

I did not look close enough --- I did not want to get close enough!

34
posted on 03/20/2004 8:11:32 AM PST
by First_Salute
(May God save our democratic-republican government, from a government by judiciary.)

"I'm just a woman," Angela said. "You hear about things like this. I didn't want to be a victim again."

I admire the way she handled the whole situation. She's definitely a hero to all of us women. I sure hope I can act with the same cool head if I'm ever in the same situation. My guess is that criminals should stay away from me, just in case. lol.

38
posted on 03/20/2004 8:37:02 AM PST
by NRA2BFree
(The Socialists are in control of our Congress. It*s time to clean house!!)

Gary Gleck has pointed out in more than 99% of civilian confrontations with criminals in this country, shots were rarely fired. All it usually took was showing a gun to make the criminal desist. Now that's fact the gun banners don't want the public to be aware of. In real life, dramatic shootouts like one sees on TV shows are rare.

40
posted on 03/20/2004 8:57:47 AM PST
by goldstategop
(In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)

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